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November Horticultural Tips Managing horticultural landscapes and house plants in November is important to healthy production during the growing season. Below are a few recommendations for Chouteau county gardeners. • Apply protective mulches to perennial beds. • Use a humidifier to maintain humidity for houseplants. • Prune out dead limbs of woody ornamentals. • Do not fertilize or transplant anything after Columbus Day. • Continue to water landscape plantings (trees, shrubs, and perennials) until the soil freezes. • Apply winter mulch to st...
Vaccination Tips on Beef Cattle Information for this article was taken from the October issue of the Cow Sense Chronicle written by Rachel Endecott, MSU Extension Beef Cattle Specialist. Successful vaccination depends on three critical factors: an effective vaccine, a functioning immune system, and administration of the vaccine before exposure to the disease. Some tips for effective vaccination include: • Read and follow label directions. If you are unsure, consult your veterinarian or call the vaccine company directly before using the p...
Fall Cropping Update from MSU Extension Soil Fertility Specialist Information for this article came from a MSU Extension Press Release. “Both nitrogen and sulfur needs for next year’s crops should be considered said Clain Jones (MSU Extension Soil Fertility Specialist) especially in areas that received well-above or well-below normal rainfall. There are several things that influence the next crop’s nitrogen requirements,” Jones said. “These include yield potential, residual nitrogen in the soil, and this year’s crop residue.” Jones encoura...
Fall is a Great Time to Order Shelterbelt Trees The Montana Conservation Seedling Nursery (MCSN) is already receiving new orders for shelter belt plantings. Rocky Mountain Juniper is the most popular windbreak species, and is sold out quite quickly. If you are interested in ordering Rocky Mountain Juniper for your shelterbelt, please place your order as soon as possible. Shelterbelt plans should be approved by the MSU Extension Chouteau County agent, Chouteau County Conservation District personnel, or MCSN staff. The minimum order for new...
Insects Affecting Livestock Production The Chouteau County Livestock Protective Association meeting will take place on Friday, November 10th at 3:00 p.m.at the Vets Hall in Geraldine. The social will begin at 5:00 p.m. followed by dinner at 6:30. An educational presentation on insects affecting livestock production will follow dinner. Dr. Greg Johnson, MSU Extension Veterinary Entomologist will discuss fly and lice management in beef cattle. Horn flies are the most common summer pest on mature cattle in Montana. These flies spend 95% of their...
Fundamentals of Farming and Ranching for Families Conference Due to the great success of last year’s workshop, MSU Extension Chouteau County will be hosting another workshop for farm and ranch families from 8:30 a.m. to 2:15 p.m. on Thursday, November 3, 2016 at the Community Bible Center in Fort Benton. The center is located at 911 16th street in Fort Benton. Daycare will be provided for attendees upon request. Lunch is sponsored by Farm Bureau Federation and Jared Vielleux from Farm Bureau Financial Services. The workshop will include s...
Range Renovation Conference in Fort Benton and Stanford MSU Extension is sponsoring a range renovation conference in Fort Benton and Stanford on Thursday, October 20th. The morning seminar will take place in Fort Benton from 8:00-11:00 at Community Bible Recreation Center located at 911 16th Street. The afternoon seminar will take place in Stanford at City Hall, from 2:00-5:00. Many producers are considering renovating their rangeland to increase grass production. In addition, seeded pastures supply nutritious forage at times during the year...
September Horticulture Questions from Chouteau County Clientele • I didn’t get my pumpkins covered when we had our first frost. Should I throw them away? According to NDSU Extension, the first light freeze usually will take out the canopy foliage and leave the fruit pretty much unharmed. Ideally, the crop should be harvested as soon as possible. If a prompt harvest isn’t possible, then hope for a week to 10 days of balmy weather with no further freezes. Harvest the pumpkins and squash at your earliest convenience. Frost blankets are highl...
Ranching Management Questions and Answers in September What herbicide do you recommend for cheatgrass management in alfalfa or an alfalfa/grass mix? Dr. Jane Mangold MSU Rangeland Weed Specialist, has talked to producers who use a low rate of Roundup (4 ounces per acre) in the early spring, prior to alfalfa and other grasses breaking dormancy. Depending on the severity of the infestation, producers may need to spray a couple years to deplete the seed bank. In addition, producers need to be careful to not stress the alfalfa/grass as a result of...
Cropping Questions from Producers in August • What is causing the dark and light colored stubble in my field after harvest? According to Clain Jones, MSU Extension Soil Fertility Specialist, one explanation may be differences in fertility and soil texture. If you have sandier soil and lower nitrogen available, you are going to have lighter colored straw, greater yield, and less protein. If you have finer soil and high nitrogen available, you are going to have darker colored straw, less yield and higher protein. • Is grazing a field with wheat s...
September Horticulture Management Managing horticultural landscapes in September is essential to healthy production during the growing season. Below are a few recommendations for Chouteau county gardeners. • The average first frost is September 15 (Carter), September 18 (Kenilworth and Highwood), September 20 (Big Sandy), September 25 (Fort Benton) and September 28 in Geraldine. All fruit and vegetables should be harvested before temperatures drop below 40° to 50°F. • Ripen tomatoes in a paper bag along with an apple, or hang the entire plant...
“Rolling Cows” A Cattle Semi Rollover Exercise for Emergency Responders A cattle semi-roll over exercise will take place on September 21, 2016 at the Community Bible Church Recreation Center located at 911 16th Street in Fort Benton. Registration will begin at 9:00 a.m. The goal is to train first responders and others in case of an actual incident involving livestock. The event will begin with introductions and logistics followed by a functional scenario & break-out discussion groups. A working lunch will take place at 12:00 p.m. followed by...
MSU Extension releases new MontGuide factsheets on forage analysis Montana State University Extension specialists have released two new MontGuide fact sheets on forage analysis. A new four-page MontGuide, Forage Analysis Interpretation, describes why forage analyses are an important tool in livestock nutrient management. “Understanding forage analysis and how it can impact a ration feeding program is vital to maintaining herd health, improving productivity and decreasing forage waste,” said Megan Van Emon, MSU Extension beef cattle spe...
Pre-seeding fertilizer tips for farmers Clain Jones, MSU Extension Soil Fertility Specialist Presented at the Montana Agricultural Business Association last winter in Great Falls. The majority of the presentation contained a variety of fertilizer tips to help producers prepare for the upcoming seeding season. In addition, information for this article was taken from the Fertilizer Guidelines for Montana Crops (EB161), which is available at the Chouteau County Extension office. • MSU Extension has an on-line tool designed to assist producers i...
Mulching is a must for lawn and garden landscapes during the hot summer. The single most serious problem with ornamental plants in Northern Plains region is not a disease, insect or mite problem; it is environmental stress. Stress affects plant material in direct and indirect ways. It can cause damage directly and weaken the plants to the point where they are vulnerable to insect and disease attack. Stress is a problem in the Plains region because we, in our landscaping efforts, are attempting to grow “alien” species (non-native for the most pa...
Blue Green Algae Poisoning in Cattle Information for this article was taken from the Cow Sense Chronicle and is located at http://animalrangeextension.montana.edu/beef/documents/7-16CowSenseChronicle.pdf. The Chronicle is authored by Rachel Endecott, MSU Extension Beef Specialist. When livestock or other animals ingest high concentrations of blue-green algae, death can occur within minutes or hours. Blue-green algae, or cyanobacteria, are photosynthetic bacteria that live and grow in aquatic environments. Some species are harmless, while...
Hailed out and emerged volunteer wheat should be sprayed immediately after harvest Information for this article was taken from a Kansas State University Press Release. The entire article is located at www.ag.ksu.edu. Producers often wait several weeks after harvest before making their first herbicide application to control volunteer wheat,” said Dallas Peterson, K-State Research and Extension weed management specialist. “This allows as much volunteer as possible to emerge before spraying it or tilling it the first time. Often, a second app...
Safety tips for Ranchers Using Rodenticides Information for this article was prepared by Stephen Vantassel (Vertebrate Pest Specialist for the Montana Department of Agriculture). Rodenticides must be used properly to prevent needless death or injury to people and non-target animals. Fortunately, following a few simple precautions will prevent most potential accidents. • Do not stockpile rodenticides. Restrict purchases to those needed to fulfill seasonal needs. While rodenticides do not usually weaken during storage, grain baits, for example, m...
Tree watering rules of thumb • Water trees three times a month in addition to watering your lawn. • Deep watering to a depth of 12” inches below the soil surface is recommended. Saturate the soil around the tree within the “dripline” (the outer edges of the tree’s branches) to disperse water down toward the roots. • For evergreens, water 3’-5’ beyond the dripline on all sides of the tree. • The objective is to water slowly, dispersing the flow of water to get the water deep down to the trees roots. Watering for short periods of time onl...
Field days coming up near Loma and Turner MSU Northern Agricultural Research Center (NARC) and MSU Extension will be hosting two field days near Loma and Turner, Montana on Monday, July, 11. The Loma field day will begin at 9:00 a.m. north of Loma near the Terry Mckeever farm at 2088 Houston road. The Turner field day will begin at 5:00 p.m. near the Max Cederberg farm north of Turner. A barbeque hosted by CHS Big Sky will follow the Turner field day. Dr. Luther Talbert (MSU agronomist/spring wheat breeder) will educate producers about spring...
Veterinary feed directive information for producers The MSU Extension Beef Cattle Program will be conducting educational meetings throughout the state starting in late July. Antibiotic use in livestock and humans continues to undergo greater scrutiny as antibiotic resistance evolves. Antibiotic resistance is a main reason for implementation of the new VFD rule. First, the rule deals with antibiotics fed to animals, not injectable antibiotics. Secondly, not all antibiotics currently fed to animals are included in the rule. The FDA has published...
Agricultural research center field days scheduled for June and July There will be three field days in Chouteau County in June and July. The Knees field day will take place on June 8th, the Loma field day will take place on July 11th, and the Highwood Bench field day will occur on July 13th. Details on the Highwood Bench and Loma field day will be addressed in a later article. All three field days in Chouteau County will begin at 9:00 a.m. For additional information, please contact the Chouteau County Extension office at 406-622-3751. In additio...
Dryland Alfalfa Questions and Answers What is an economic stand for alfalfa? We like to see at least 3-4 plants per square foot in an irrigated field, and 2-3 plants/ square foot in dryland. Or you can also do a mean stem count, and once you get less than 40 stems/ square foot, we recommend renovating (Emily Glunk, 2015). Should I inoculate my seed? If not already inoculated when purchased, inoculate alfalfa seed with nitrogen-fixing bacteria Rhizobium meliloti, specific for alfalfa. Even when planting on land that has already grown alfalfa...
Knees Area Field Day Scheduled for June 8th The MSU Western Triangle Agricultural Research Center (WTARC) and MSU Extension are hosting a field day in the Knees area on June 8th at 9:00 a.m. The event will begin approximately one mile north of J & A Farms. J & A Farms is located at 2226 Knees Church Road. Dr. Mary Burrows (MSU Extension Plant Pathology Specialist) will present on cereal grain diseases. Dr. Phil Bruckner (MSU Winter Wheat Breeder) will speak about successful winter wheat varieties for the Knees area. John Miller (WTARC Research...
Lawn Management and Drip Irrigation Information The MSU Extension Master Gardener program provides research based information for gardeners. Below are a few notes taken from the turf management portion of the program. • Rough bluegrass is probably the best grass in Montana for shady areas. • Kentucky bluegrass is the best grass for open sunny areas with well-drained soil. • Annual ryegrass can be used as a cover crop following vegetable production. • The standard lawn mix is 60% Kentucky bluegrass, 30% creeping red fescue and 10% annual ryegras...